Combined Age 240 Swim Team Sets New World Record

A swimming team, whose members collectively total 240 years in age, established a new world record at a national event. The City of Sheffield squad achieved a time of 1:52:06 in the mixed 4x50m freestyle relay on Friday. This occurred during the GoCardless Swim England Masters National Championships, held at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in the city. Their performance surpassed the previous year’s record for their specific age category by six seconds, a record that had also been established by a Sheffield team. Team member Jonathon Saunders, 58, remarked, “All we could say to each other was ‘wow’,” and admitted that breaking a record had been his long-term objective. Throughout the weekend, the City of Sheffield swim squad, comprising 47 swimmers ranging from 18 to 75 years old, also established five British records. The entire competition drew over 400 participants from various clubs throughout the United Kingdom. Dawn Kissack, 61, and Lindsey Gaywood, 63, two individuals from Sheffield’s world record-setting team, have been swimming together at the club since they were 13 years old. Ms Gaywood stated, “We swam for Sheffield at the old Park Baths and then Dawn went off to Scotland.” Ms Kissack, who journeyed from Scotland for the event, commented that it was “worth the trip” to participate alongside the team. Andrew Moore, 58, the most recent addition to the team, has been competing for one year. Mr. Moore began swimming at the age of eight, though he “retired many times in between.” He attributed the victory to team coach Abbie Whiting, who became part of the team in 2021. He remarked, “She’s been behind us the whole time,” adding, “She’s really good at getting the best out of us.” Ms. Whiting commented, “Sheffield has great facilities and the club makes good investments into grassroots swimming, but we are lucky to have the facilities we have.” While the team enjoyed competing, Ms. Kissack noted that it was also “about friendship and staying healthy.” Mr. Saunders further stated, “It’s not just the four of us, the squad is a big family – it’s a friendly, welcoming community.”